July Writing Update

 Elmore Leonard once said, “I never open a book with weather. If it’s only to create atmosphere and not a character’s reaction to the weather, you don’t want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people.” 

So What About the Weather? -  July has been pleasant here in our little part of the world. We have had some warm days, mostly offset by cool nights. Overall, the summer has been a bit cooler than the 30-year average. The fine weather has allowed for more flowers and more vegetables than last year. Two small hail storms were the only downside of this summer’s weather. The second one was short-lived, but nickel-sized hail took out most of our raspberries and the higher-on-the-vine tomatoes. Update - tomatoes are looking good and tasting even better!

Finishing a Book – I was asked this week if I had ever started but not finished a book. They should have asked me how many books have you started but not finished. My answer – too many. I have written nearly 200 pages with 200+ footnotes on one nonfiction project, now dead for five years. Add a kid’s book or two, a memoir, and two series books I abandoned. I nearly forgot to mention a history storybook and a historical highlights book. Maybe some days, I will go back and look at one or more of these books, but not soon.

Edits – The first long and slow edit of the third of my Blade Holmes western mysteries is complete. Now I will lay it aside for a week or two, then listen to the computer read it. Then a third go through. In the meantime, I am editing the third of my nonfiction books for older readers. It is a shorter book; I should finish this edit in a week or so.

 

Writing Quote of the Week – “A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” Sidney Sheldon

Photos – Today’s photos are from this week’s wanderings, walks, and strolls.

As I write this, July is just around the corner. Since my last post, we have spent time in the mountains west of town and a few most enjoyable days with an old friend in the Wyoming and South Dakota Black Hills.

 

Writing

As always, I find myself writing new material when I should be finishing the editing process on several other works. Oh, well! I'm enjoying it. Most of my writing  I now do on the deck during the day. Nothing beats sitting outside and enjoying nature and the sounds of a small town when I am creating – or, as I am now, drinking iced tea and eating a muffin.

Since my last post, I have written about 2,000 words (new words,  not edited rewrites). I consider that not too bad, considering the amount of running we have been doing.

 

Is Writing Hard?

That was a question once asked by a fifth grader. My answer – "No, not if you have something you are passionate about, then it can seem easy."

So many young or beginning writers attempt to write for the market. Find the best-selling genre and write like the top pros. That is a bad idea in so many ways. Write what you want and about what you want – happiness, not cash. If you are great and the book is terrific, success and money will find you.

 

Book Sales

I have not done anything other than what I always do, advertising-wise, but for some reason, my book sales are pretty brisk, at least for me. Thanks, everyone!

 

Health Update

I did show up for my six months after the surgery appointment. Exrays show significant new bone growth from C3 to C7 – that's good. The new bone helps tighten all the new titanium and makes my neck more stable and safe. I can start playing golf again in three months, although I can hit half shots now. That will be a nice milestone.

 

 

Writing Quote of the Day

All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since."

Ernest Hemingway

 

Today's Photos are from our trip to the Black Hills  Lots of forest road travel – lovely!

Back in the Saddle - Writing Update

 We are nearing the middle of June. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the warmer weather.

 

I have been hard at work gardening, writing, and walking.

 

Writing

Most of my writing time is spent on three separate projects, two non-fiction for senior readers and the other a historical mystery. (For Western lovers)

I managed to write over 3,000 words in the past ten days. That may seem slow for many writers, but it is pretty fast for me. The Western mystery is finished, but why not one last go-over? The other two, one finished and one about 70%, still have a way to go – fun times.

 

Edits

I love writing first drafts. Often the time seems to fly by with the creative juices flowing. Edits are another matter. Like many writers, I am not a fan of editing, but it needs to be done, so we all do it. I usually limit myself to about an hour and a half for a session for editing.

 

Health Update

The neck is feeling great, and I am gradually gaining more and more movement, left, right, up, and down. Six-month post-surgery appointment tomorrow, If all goes well, I may be playing golf again. I could also see an easing of many of my restrictions. Fingers crossed on this.

 

Writing Quote of the Day

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”     Louis L’Amour

 

 Photos

From some of our June walks

Enjoy the week! And, keep on writing. 

 

A Busy Writing Week

 This has been a busy week of writing - Here is what kept me busy, edits on two finished books and two new essays in my soon-to-be-finished fourth book for seniors. Interesting that I’m working on a fourth, and one of the two books I am still editing is the third. Oh Boy!

 

Let’s See – I believe those three books will put me at 16. At my age (rather advanced), I still see 20 or so.

 

Hey Mr. Older Adult - Speaking of advanced years, Grammarly did not like me using the term old man as I edited my latest Blade Holmes western mystery. It suggested I use older adult or older man instead. I don’t know, but to me, it is not disrespectful or culturally inappropriate to use old man. I have always disliked the saying, “It is what it is,” but I’m 75 – an old man. It doesn’t hurt my feelings one bit. I am happy to be alive and in good health well (mostly) and an old man at three-quarters of a century.  

 

It feels so good to be back writing - I don’t want to belabor the point, but when I was unable to write due to health issues (see previous posts), it felt like a new beginning as I, once again, tapped away on my laptop.

 

Word Count – Page Count – An excellent week of writing and rewrites pushed me to almost 2,500 words, which is not bad for me. I also edited 60+ pages.

 

More on Word Count – I never wrote the number of words many writers do, but most years, I wrote and published over 200,000. Some writers go a million words a year – now that’s a lot of seat time. Because of my photography and gardening habits, ok, along with walking/hiking, jeeping, and watching the backyard birds, I'm one busy guy. 😊

 

Writing Quote of the Day – “Every year, there’s a few more things I’m not sure of. I’ve decided that a wide-ranging uncertainty is the mark of the true maturity of man.”     Lawrence Block

 

That’s It for today - I will be back soon. Have a great day and a super week.

 

Today's Photos – Were all shot this week, one in our backyard and two in the Laramie Range west of town.

 

To say it has been a while since I last posted on this site would be quite an understatement. But, yes, it has been a while – nearly eight months and that is a long time for a blog I consider active.

Excuses – Excuses - Poor health and surgery behind me and yes, I am getting better and once again feeling nearly like my old self. And, I am writing again, quite a bit – several hundred words each day.

Working away - I am also doing my final edit on the third of my Blade Holmes western mysteries. This one has been in the works for years. At last, I may soon, or someday, get this one published. I am also on the final edit of my, senior reader (third in the series) Walking for health book. Along with those two, I am writing a fourth senior book – this one about growing up three-quarters of a century ago. As always, I have other projects – more toward the back burner going. These projects include some Wyoming History and maybe, another in my children’s book series. Who knows, I am feeling good again.

Today’s photos - from my walks last week.

Western quote of the day –

“For West is where we all plan to go someday. It is where you go when the land gives out and the old-field pines encroach. It is where you go when you get the letter saying: Flee, all is discovered. It is where you go when you look down at the blade in your hand and the blood on it. It is where you go when you are told that you are a bubble on the tide of empire. It is where you go when you hear that thar's gold in them-thar hills. It is where you go to grow up with the country. It is where you go to spend your old age. Or it is just where you go.”

Robert Penn Warren    -- All the King’s Men

That’s it for today. I will be back soon. Have a great day and a super week.

 

Oregon Trail Ruts - Guernsey Wyoming

Last week we took some friends up to show them the famous Trail Ruts south of Guernsey. We have been up there dozens of times over the years, and each time I am struck by how difficult those traveling days along the Oregon Trail must have been.  

The trail itself was remarkable as it tied together the east and the west of the United States. Travel along the trail was mostly peaceful. Most tribes along the way simply allowed people to pass along what they sometimes called the Great Medicine Road. Life for the people of the plains and foothills was difficult enough without starting battles with all the passers-through.

The North Platte River runs a quarter of a mile north of the ruts pictured above. Travel would have been much easier to simply roll along a few yards from the river. The problem was - the river was big, unpredictable, and moody. The ground was likely much too soft for the heavy wagons to travel. So - they ran higher along the ridge overlooking the river. Harder but safer.

Eating on the trail was mostly the three Bs, beans, biscuits, and bacon. Throw in some rice, coffee, and dried fruit, and that was about it. Many think that the travelers dinned on wild game along the way. Some did, others tried, and most realized that would be an iffy proposition at best. 

It would have been tough, but what an adventure.

If you live in or plan to visit Wyoming, make sure you plan a trip to the ruts south of Guernsey.  

Writing In the Hot Days of Summer

 Writing

I spent a fair amount of time writing this week – pretty good for me. I no longer set daily or weekly word count goals, but 3,000+ words is a decent week. Mostly I am cleaning up two finished yet unpublished books. I also found the time to work on a newer project I started a couple of months ago. That project stands at about 7,000 words, getting close to halfway. All of my Senior books fall between 18,000 and 25,000 words. All my senior books are nonfiction life lessons and lessons learned, filled with humor and ideas to make growing old easier. I like to keep these books short enough to read in a few hours. I keep them shorter because these books have extra room between lines and nice large print. Many of my senior readers prefer books to Ebooks, and I do not want them to be so large as to be unmanageable to older readers. My arthritic hands struggle with books over an inch and a half thick - good thing I like Ebooks.

Westerns

Wendover, the third in my Blade Holmes western mysteries, is almost ready. I finished the book nearly two years ago but never liked the first chapter. At last, I believe I have figured out what it needs. If I like the results – out to my first reader, and we will see.

 

Final Note

We watched the mini-series Dark Winds this week and loved it. (Prime TV) This series is based on the great Tony Hillerman's novels and is well worth watching. Terrific story and acting. I have read all of Hillerman's works, most more than once. If you love westerns, he is a must-read.

Meanwhile, Keep on reading, and for you writers – keep on writing.

 

Photos

Today's photos are from one of my favorite places – the Castle on the North Bluff at Guernsey State Park.